Aircraft having orientable jet nozzle arrangement



May 5, 1959 P. F. ASHWOOD AIRCRAFT HAVING ORIENTABLE JET NOZZLEARRANGEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 19. 1953 lnycirfortfformzy AIRCRAFT HAVING ORIENTABLE JET NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT Original FiledJune 19.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 5, 1959 P. F. ASHWOOD 2,885,159

1 AIRCRAFT HAVING ORIENTABLE JET NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT Original Filed Jurle 19. 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet s IILVEZI: [0E I AIRCRAFT HAVING ORIENTABLEJET NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT Peter Frederick Ashwood, Farnham, England,assignor to Power Jets (Research and Development) Limited, London,England, a British company Continuation of abandoned application SerialNo. 362,930, June 19, 1953. This application September 26, 1956, SerialNo. 612,163

Claims priority, application Great Britain June 27, 1952 13 Claims. (Cl.244-12) In an aircraft wherein thrust is produced by the discharge of ajet of gas it may be desired to direct a jet rearwardly for normalforward flight and downwardly on occasion for giving an upthrust or atleast a component of upthrust when desired for maintaining flight duringrelatively slow speed landing of high speed aircraft or for assistingtake-E. Again, if jet streams from separate gas-generating power unitsare discharged through at least two separate but adjacent jet nozzles soas to form in eifect a single jet, it may be desirable or necessary thatthe line of action of the total thrust should not change appreciably ifone of the power units goes out of operation.

According to the principal feature of the present invention a jet nozzleis fed through a right-angled or approximately right-angled bend from ajet pipe having at least a part lying transversely across the aircraft.

According to a further feature of the invention, where there are two jetnozzles separately supplied as aforesaid, the nozzles are so arrangedthat the thrust on one has substantially the same line of action as thaton the other-Le. according to the invention two or more jet nozzles areeach symmetrically disposed about an axis common to both; furthermorethe two nozzles may each be fed through a right-angled or approximatelyrightangled bend from two jet pipes lying in part on a common axisextending transversely across the aircraft. More particularly, onenozzle embraces another, at least partially. At least one nozzle may bedivided into branches disposed about or interleaved with at least partof another nozzle.

Although applicable to rearwardly directed nozzles for the production offorward thrust, the feature of the nozzle construction is particularlyvaluable when applied to a downwardly directed nozzle for producing anupthrust or a thrust having an upward component, because it is importantthat upthrust should at all times act along a line passing through orvery near to the centre of gravity of the aircraft. The feature may beapplied to nozzles equipped for jet deflection whereby, in power plantnormally emitting a rearwardly directed jet for producing forwardpropelling thrust on the aircraft, the jet may be diverted downwardly toproduce upthrust, or at least component of upthrust, when desired.

Thus according to a further and important feature of the inventionprovision is made for swivelling the rightangled bend and possibly alsothe nozzle, or the combination of nozzles symmetrically disposed about acom mon axis; the swivelling is around the axis of the jet pipe or jetpipes from a position in which the nozzle or assembly of nozzles isrearwardly directed to a position in which they are downwardly directed.The power unit or whole assembly of power units may swivel with the jetnozzles about the axis transverse to the aircraft. Alter- ..nativelythenozzle or nozzles may swivel relatively to States atent 2,885,159Patented May 5, 1959 2 the jet pipe or pipes in which case there isincluded a rotary gas-tight joint between each jet pipe and rightangledbend.

The invention is illustrated bythe accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 shows the arrangement of two engines and swivelling nozzleconnections onan aircraft;

Figure 2 shows a single engine arrangement on an aircraft feeding twoswivelling nozzle connections;

Figure 3 shows two engines arranged on an aircraft similarly to thearrangement shown in Figure 1 but with the nozzles disposed around acommon axis;

Figures 4 and 5 are views to a larger scale showing two positions of oneconstruction of swivelling interleaved jet nozzles according to thearrangement ofFigure 3;

Figures 6 and and 5 of an alternative construction;

Figures 8 and 9 are two further similar views of another alternativeconstruction in which also the whole power assembly is mounted forswivelling about a common transverse axis.

In Figure 1 the power plant for the aircraft 1, intended for theproduction of forward thrust or upthrust as desired, consists of twoseparate gas generating power unitsi.e. jet engines2 and 3 ofconventional form mounted with their jet pipes 2a and 3a in line on acommon horizontal axis extending transversely across the aircraft.Although it is understood that these jet pipes could extend away fromeach other from opposite ends of the engines 2 and 3, which engineswould then draw in air from intakes at their adjacent ends, the jetpipes 2a and 3a are shown as extending towards each other from adjacentends of the engine, pointing towards each other. The engines draw in airfrom the intake elements 10 and 11 having forward facing intakes 10a and11a. Each of the jet pipes 2a and 3a terminates in a rightangled pipebend 4 or 5. For normal flight the pipe bends 4 and 5 are aligned withand connected to the nozzle pipes 6 and 7 terminating in the usualconvergent nozzles 6a and 7a.

Rotation of the pipe bends 4 and 5 about the com- 7 are viewscorresponding to mon axis of the jet pipes 2a and 3a through aright-angle will direct them downwardly as shown so that they arealigned with and connected to the downwardly directed convergent nozzles9 and 10. swivelling mechanism for rotating the pipe bends eitherrelatively to or bodily with the whole assembly of engines 2 and 3 is asdescribed in more detail hereinafter. The axes of the nozzles 9 and 10are symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal centre line of theaircraft, such that the resultant of the action of the jet therefromwill pass through or very near to the centre of gravity of the aircraft.

It will be understood that in Figure 1, as in Figures 2 and 3 to belater described, the aircraft is shown conventionally in outline and asif transparent so that the power plant in the wing is fully exposed toview.

In Figure 2 the aircraft 1 has a forwardly and centrally mounted jetengine 12 extending along the direction of flight and dischargingrearwardly through the T-shaped jet pipe 13. The butt of the T liestransversely across the aircraft and is connected at each end torightangled swivelling pipe bends 14 and 15 terminating in convergentnozzles 6a and 7a. When the latter lie in the plane of the T-shaped jetpipe 13 as shown, they are directed rearwardly.. Rotation of the pipebends 14 and 15 about the axis of the butt of the T through a rightanglewill direct the nozzles downwardly as shown in chain dotted line.

In order to ensure that with only two engines, as for example in Figure1, failure of one engine will not appreciably unbalance the upthrust,the transversely extend,-

jet streams, one unit having at least one part of rectangularcross-section terminating in a rectangular jet discharge aperture, andthe other unit being divided into at least two branches of rectangularcross-section each terminating in a rectangular jet discharge aperture,said branches lying one on each side of said rectangular part of thefirst nozzle unit; and means connecting each jet pipe to a separate oneof said nozzle units; the jet discharge apertures of the two nozzleunits being interleaved in layers and symmetrically disposed withrespect to an axis common to both so that the jet streams from each ofthe nozzle units have substantially the same line of action, whereby ifone engine is out of operation, the line of action of the total thrustis not changed appreciably.

4. An aircraft comprising two jet engines, each having a jet pipe; twonozzle units for the discharge of propulsive jet streams, each unitterminating in a jet discharge aperture; and means connecting each jetpipe to a separate one of said nozzle units; one nozzle unit at leastpartly enclosing the other unit and terminating in an annular jetdischarge aperture concentric with and around the jet discharge apertureof the other unit so that the jet streams from each of the nozzle unitshave substantially the same line of action, whereby if one engine is outof operation, the line of action of the total thrust is not changedappreciably.

5. An aircraft comprising two jet engines, each having a jet pipe; twonozzle units for the discharge of propulsive jet streams, each unitbeing divided into branches, each branch terminating in a jet dischargeaperture; and means connecting each jet pipe to a separate one of saidnozzle units; the jet discharge apertures of each nozzle unit being sosymmetrically disposed about an axis common to both that the jet streamsfrom each of the nozzle units have substantially the same line ofaction, whereby if one engine is out of operation, the line of action ofthe total thrust is not changed appreciably.

6. An aircraft according to claim 5 wherein the nozzle units are dividedinto equal numbers of branches, and the jet discharge apertures of thetwo units are disposed alternately in a ring around said common axis.

7. Aircraft power plant for discharging a jet of gas to produce thrustcomprising at least one jet engine and a jet pipe extending therefromtransversely across the aircraft, a jet nozzle, a connection betweensaid jet pipe and said nozzle in the form of a substantiallyright-angled pipe bend and means mounting said engine, jet pipe and pipebend for swivelling about the axis of said jet pipe extendingtransversely across the aircraft, the pipe bend being, by virtue of saidswivelling, movable from a position for directing the jet downwardly toone for directing the jet rearwardly.

8. An aircraft comprising two jet engines, each having a jet pipe lyingtransversely across the aircraft; two nozzle units for the discharge ofpropulsive jet streams, each unit terminating in a jet dischargeaperture; two substantially right-angled pipe bends, each connecting oneof said jet pipes to one of said nozzle units; the discharge aperturesof said nozzle units being so symmetrically disposed about an axiscommon to both that said jet streams from each of said nozzle units havethe same line of action, whereby if one engine is out of operation, theline of action of the total thrust is not changed.

9. An aircraft according to claim 8 wherein one pipe bend and the nozzleunit connected thereto are divided into branches, each terminating in ajet discharge aper ture, at least part of the other pipe bend and thenozzle unit connected thereto lying between the branches.

10. An aircraft according to claim 8 wherein at least one pipe bend andthe nozzle unit connected thereto are divided into branches and the pipebends and nozzle units have parts interleaved in layers.

11. An aircraft according to claim 8 wherein the discharge aperture ofone nozzle unit is annular and concentric with and around the dischargeaperture of the other nozzle unit and said first-mentioned nozzle unitand the pipe bend to which it is connected at least partly encloses theother nozzle unit and pipe bend.

12. An aircraft according to claim 8 wherein each said pipe bend andnozzle unit is divided into an equal number of branches and the jetdischarge apertures of the two units are disposed alternately in a ringaround said common axis.

13. An aircraft according to claim 8 wherein said jet pipes are alignedon a common axis and comprising means connecting said pipe bends to saidjet pipes for turning them about said axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,601,104 Douglas June 17, 1952

